Is Netflix's Stock Finally Cheap?

Numbers can lie -- yet they're the best first step in determining whether a stock is a buy. In this series, we use some carefully chosen metrics to size up a stock's true value based on the following clues:

The current price multiples.

The consistency of past earnings and cash flow.

How much growth we can expect.

Netflix has had a wild ride as it surpassed $300 a share earlier this year only to fall to its current levels in the low $100s. Let's see what those numbers can tell us about how expensive or cheap Netflix (NAS: NFLX) might be.

The current price multiplesFirst, we'll look at most investors' favorite metric: the P/E ratio. It divides the company's share price by its earnings per share (EPS) -- the lower, the better.

Then we'll take things up a notch with a more advanced metric: enterprise value to unlevered free cash flow. This divides the company's enterprise value (basically, its market cap plus its debt, minus its cash) by its unlevered free cash flow (its free cash flow, adding back the interest payments on its debt). Like the P/E, the lower this number is, the better.

Analysts argue about which is more important -- earnings or cash flow. Who cares? A good buy ideally has low multiples on both.

Netflix has a P/E ratio of 28.0 and an EV/FCF ratio of 19.0 over the trailing 12 months. If we stretch and compare current valuations with the five-year averages for earnings and free cash flow, we see that Netflix has a P/E ratio of 51.2 and a five-year EV/FCF ratio of 21.9.

A positive one-year ratio of less than 10 for both metrics is ideal. For a five-year metric, less than 20 is ideal.

Netflix is zero for four on hitting the ideal targets, but let's see how it stacks up against some of its competitors and industry mates.

Numerically, we've seen how Netflix's valuation rates on both an absolute and relative basis. Next, let's examine ...

The consistency of past earnings and cash flowAn ideal company will be consistently strong in its earnings and cash-flow generation.

In the past five years, Netflix's net income margin has ranged from 5.5% to 8%. In that same time frame, unlevered free cash flow margin has ranged from 11.6% to 20.4%.

How do those figures compare with those of the company's peers? See for yourself:

Source: S&P Capital IQ; margin ranges are combined.

Source: S&P Capital IQ; margin ranges are combined.

In addition, over the past five years, Netflix has tallied up five years of positive earnings and five years of positive free cash flow.

Next, let's figure out ...

How much growth we can expectAnalysts tend to comically overstate their five-year growth estimates. If you accept them at face value, you willoverpay for stocks. But even though you should definitely take the analysts' prognostications with a grain of salt, they can still provide a useful starting point when compared with similar numbers from a company's closest rivals.

Let's start by seeing what this company's done over the past five years. In that time period, Netflix has put up past EPS growth rates of 33.9%. Meanwhile, Wall Street's analysts expect future growth rates of 32%.

Here's how Netflix compares with its peers for trailing-five-year growth:

Source: S&P Capital IQ; EPS growth shown.

Source: S&P Capital IQ; EPS growth shown.

And here's how it measures up with regard to the growth analysts expect over the next five years:

Source: S&P Capital IQ; estimates for EPS growth.

Source: S&P Capital IQ; estimates for EPS growth.

The bottom lineThe pile of numbers we've plowed through has shown us the price multiples that shares of Netflix are trading at, the volatility of its operational performance, and what kind of growth profile it has -- both on an absolute and a relative basis.

The more consistent a company's performance has been and the more growth we can expect, the more we should be willing to pay. We've gone well beyond looking at a 28.0 P/E ratio, and we see that Netflix's EV/FCF ratio is down to 19. That's not dirt cheap, but it's much lower than what Netflix was sporting earlier this year. However, to pay even Netflix's current multiples implies a lot of growth. Extrapolating its heady past bottom-line growth may not be wise because it now faces the specter of increased content costs. It's also dealing with its recent flip flop on Qwikster. If you find Netflix's numbers or story compelling, don't stop here. Continue your due-diligence process until you're confident one way or the other. Be sure to catch its earnings release on Oct. 24 and add it to My Watchlist to find all of our Foolish analysis.